| Author | Message | ||
| Teresa White
Intermediate Member Username: teresa_white Post Number: 545 Registered: 01-2005 |
The House Guest She’s outlived all her friends, weighs in like a child, asks little more than half the living room. She needs no doctors while my calendar fills up with appointments in waiting rooms sleek with Scandinavian chairs and overly-thumbed copies of “People.” Since your mother moved in with her teddy bears and tea, the house constantly steams over as the kettle boils. I try to catch it before the whistle blows. She spends days picking cat hair from an afghan; plays with my favorite pet: twirls a rope, scatters catnip till it swims in the air, chews aspirin for toothache, doesn’t believe me when I tell her the needle won’t hurt. She can barely walk with her broken spine. I take her little hand and guide her to the dinner table. Years trail behind her— an insistent locomotive charging through wide-open spaces, the dried fruit, the grain. | ||
| Gary Blankenship
Senior Member Username: garyb Post Number: 6530 Registered: 07-2001 |
Teresa, another winner, a fine tribute, you honor her in her age as we wish to be honored. Smiles. Gary A River Transformed The Dawg House December Fireweed | ||
| Andrew Dufresne
New member Username: beachdreamer Post Number: 21 Registered: 01-2006 |
This kind of poem reminds me, that no matter how much older people think they become invisible, they ARE seen, and in them we find the wisps of children who have seen the days. Very lovely work. ad | ||
| Emusing
Moderator Username: emusing Post Number: 2680 Registered: 08-2003 |
Wonderful wonderful!! She can barely walk with her broken spine. I take her little hand and guide her to the dinner table. Years trail behind her— an insistent locomotive charging through wide-open spaces, the dried fruit, the grain. All the details so fine and the end so unexpected. E | ||
| Zephyr
Senior Member Username: zephyr Post Number: 3786 Registered: 07-2003 |
I used to work with old people and their history always fascinated me, lovely poem and loved years trail behind her...  | ||
| Dale McLain
Advanced Member Username: sparklingseas Post Number: 1776 Registered: 11-2004 |
Teresa~ "I take her little hand"~ Perfect and bittersweet. This is a gorgeous poem filled with details that will stay with me. Thank you. take care~dale | ||
| Lazarus
Advanced Member Username: lazarus Post Number: 1030 Registered: 10-2005 |
The sense of the hard and the soft here is palpable. She is both whirlwind and little child. The love is profound. This is a work of art. And the earth, bristling and raw, tiny and lost resumes its search; rushing through the vast astonishment- Ted Hughes, from His Legs Ran About. | ||
| Morgan Lafay
Advanced Member Username: morganlafay Post Number: 1385 Registered: 08-2005 |
This is beautiful and touched my heart. So lovely. | ||
| Teresa White
Intermediate Member Username: teresa_white Post Number: 546 Registered: 01-2005 |
Gary, Andrew, E, Zephyr, Dale, and Lazarus, Thank you so much for the very positive comments. This one had been in mothballs for about a year and I decided to take it out and try to bring it to completion. I'm especially pleased to read that the ending works. I wasn't sure about that. This is about my mother-in-law -who despite her curvature of the spine is in excellent health at 94. She doesn't stand but about 4' tall and weighs about 80 lbs. Two years ago, we thought it was time to get her into an assisted living facility but she'd have no part of it. Sooo, she moved in with us and the rest is history. She will live out her life in our home as we've promised her we will never put her in a nursing home. Again, thanks to each of you, Teresa | ||
| Teresa White
Intermediate Member Username: teresa_white Post Number: 551 Registered: 01-2005 |
Morgan, Thank you for your very kind words. Best, Teresa | ||
| LJ Cohen
Moderator Username: ljc Post Number: 3912 Registered: 07-2002 |
Teresa, You have expressed the mixed emotions so well with this one. Tenderness and frustration both, as anyone in this position understands. "the house constantly steams over as the kettle boils. I try to catch it before the whistle blows. " Well done. best, ljc Once in a Blue Muse Blog | ||
| Teresa White
Intermediate Member Username: teresa_white Post Number: 556 Registered: 01-2005 |
"Tenderness and frustration both, as anyone in this position understands." Thanks, Lisa. That's it exactly. Glad to read that you saw that in my poem. Best, Teresa | ||
| Laurie Byro
Advanced Member Username: lauriette Post Number: 1511 Registered: 11-2003 |
oh what a difficult situation, you alternately what to kiss or throttle her. good poem and best of luck hugs laurie | ||
| Teresa White
Intermediate Member Username: teresa_white Post Number: 568 Registered: 01-2005 |
Hi Laurie, Thanks. You got it --she's lived with us now for two years. She's really quite sweet and undemanding but there are times...... Hugs back at ya, Teresa |
